Automatic Reproduction
by Sakura Courage Solo
Summary: Back on the ARK,Gerald's madman brother infused Shadow with an Automatic Reproduction Process, and... you guessed it. Said process just kicked in. Thanks for giving me the idea for this fanfic, Vahn! Final chapter is up!
1. Revelation of a Shocking Truth

"Automatic Reproduction " 

By

Sakura Courage Solo

* * *

Author's Notes:  
I got the idea for this fanfic from a role play my friend Vahn and I did on Yahoo. I know I generally don't do comedy type fics, but this seemed like pure gold, so I'm gonna do it. Thanks a lot Vahn-Sama for the idea, I credit you muchly!

Disclaimer:  
I don't own Sonic, Shadow or any of the other characters, and I don't get paid for writing this, so cheese off, don't sue me and enjoy the fanfic.

* * *

Chapter 1

"Revelation Of A Shocking Truth "

* * *

Shadow the Hedgehog yawned one morning as he awoke on the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes lazily as he sat up, the sheets he had been sleeping under softly rolling off his slender form as he did so. He stretched a little to wake his toned muscles up before bringing his legs off the cushions and putting his bare feet on the floor.

"Looks like another uneventful day... "

He muttered to himself as he slid his Air Shoes on, then standing up as he heard the sound of someone starting to cook breakfast in the kitchen. He stretched a bit more after standing and strided into said kitchen, seeing Amy there making an attempt to bake Biscuits without burning them for once.

"Morning,Amy... "

He said through a yawn as he strode over to help the Pink Hedgie with the cooking. Amy smiled when she saw Shadow up and greeted,

"Morning Shadow. Sleep well? "

"Yeah. Hey Amy, I wanna thank you for letting me stay at your apartment until I can get a place of my own. "

"Least I can do after you helped my Sonic save the world from the FinalHazard and Space Colony ARK. "

She said with a grin, pouring some Orange Juice as Shadow turned down the oven temperature when her back was turned. He knew she wanted to try to be independant and cook the meals herself, but let's face it, cooking is NOT one of Amy's strong points, so Shadow would do little things behind her back now and then too keep her from burning or messing up some of the food.

"Anyway Shadow, you feeling better today? "

Amy asked, knowing Shadow hadn't been feeling well lately. It seemed to be a mild stomach virus, as at times his meal wouldn't agree with him.

The Hedgehog in question nodded to Amy and made his reply,

"Yeah, I am. I think it was just a 48 hour bug or something. "

"Hmm... no offense, but I never really thought 'The Ultimate Life Form' could get sick. "

Shadow looked thoughtful for a moment as he leaned on the counter before replying,

"Know what? I never really thought that either... I'd've thought Gerald would've made me immune to most any ailment, especially a common stomach virus. "

"Hmmm... maybe he just forgot? "

"I highly doubt that, Amy. As long as it's nothing life threatening though, I guess... "

Amy nodded a little and turned on a timer for something she was cooking, then sitting down at the table and picking up the newspaper.

"Either way Shadow, even 'The Ultimate Life Form' has to have SOME weakness. Maybe common viruses are just that. I mean, you can't be immune to EVERYTHING, can you? "

"I guess not... "

Shadow said, starting to sit down with a glass of milk. Unfortunately, the Hedgehog didn't get the chance to sit down at that moment, feeling his stomach turn just the slightest bit, letting him know what was coming. He'd been living with it for about 2 days now.

Amy watched as Shadow made his way to the bathroom, her ears laying back at the distasteful sounds that came afterward. She was seriously thinking about dragging her friend to the doctor as she went to help him, softly rubbing his back.

"Th-thanks Amy... "

Shadow managed to choke out after emptying the contents of his stomach, the Pink Hedgehog nodding and grabbing a washcloth to help him clean up with.

"I'm really starting to worry about you, Shadow. One minute you're fine, and the next you're making a beeline for the bathroom. I really think you should see a doctor... "

She told him, her emerald eyes holding a croncerned look within them. Shadow sighed, clearing his throat before replying,

"I'd like to Amy, but think about it. If I showed up at the doctor's office, me being genetically engineered and all, they'd wanna start experimenting on me rather than helping me. "

"But we have to do SOMETHING, Shadow. I'm starting to think this isn't just a stomach virus. "

"Aw, come on, Amy. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be fine. This'll blow over eventually... "

That's when the doorbell rang, Amy immediately getting up to get it. Shadow started to get up, but suddenly realized with a sick feeling within him that he hadn't totally emptied out his stomach before, mentally cursing whatever was wrong with him as he turned back to the bowl to empty out what was left in his stomach.

While Shadow did this, Amy opened the front door gingerly to see Sonic standing there. The Pink Hedgie's eyes lit up with delight.

"Oh, Sonic, good to see you! You never came to MY apartment before! "

Amy was doing her best to resist the urge to glomp the Blue Hedgie as he smiled to her and said,

"Heh. Well, y'know, just comin' to see how things've been working out with your new... room mate... "

Sonic sort of tapered off in his sentence as he heard the sickly sounds coming from the bathroom, his ears laying back a little.

"That... doesn't sound good. Izzat Shadow in there? "

"Yeah, he hasn't been feeling well the last couple of days. I'm starting to worry about him, Sonic. "

"I didn't think Shadow could get sick... think we should take him to a doctor? "

"He won't go. He's afraid they'll try and experiment on him. "

"Makes sense... "

Sonic scratched his head in thought, Amy letting hin into the apartment as Shadow staggered woozily out of the bathroom.

( A/N : Is 'Woozily' even a real word? Well... it is now, 'cause I say so! XD! )

The Blue Hedgehog almost cringed at the sight. It was really wierding him out to see Shadow of all Hedgehogs sick. Sonic watched the Red Highlighted Hedgie flop down on the couch and walked to him.

"Hey Shadow. Not feeling too well I see? "

Shadow narrowed his ruby eyes indignantly at Sonic, suddenly looking like he was in a bad mood.

"Isn't it obvious, Faker? If I was feeling well, I wouldn't be losing my dinner and midnight snack the wrong way like that! "

"Whoa, Shadow, Chill man! I didn't mean it like that. "

Shadow blinked a time or two, then looked off to the side.

"Eh, sorry. Guess this stomach virus from the past couple days has me edgy. "

"Understandable... "

Sonic said, scratching his head again.

"You should probably get some help with this though... I'm no doctor, but I know enough to know stomach viruses don't normally last over a day at the most. Hey, know what? Tails is a whiz with machines and gadgets. I'm sure he'd probably have some medical tools and stuff and might be able to help you. "

Shadow's eyes went from left to right for a moment as he thought about this, Amy walking up behind Sonic and adding,

"Come on, Shadow. You know Tails won't experiment on you, and you need help. We're starting to really worry about you, Shadow... "

The Black Hedgie finally sighed and sat up, brushing back his red highlighted quills a bit.

"All right, all right. Guess it can't hurt... "

He said, deep down suddenly getting a bad feeling about this whole thing...

* * *

Shadow later found himself in a rather chilly room in the back of Tails' Workshop, sitting on an even colder metal table as Tails checked a few things across the room.

"So, you've been throwing up pretty often the past couple of days? "

The Double-Tailed Fox asked, Shadow nodding in reply.

"Yeah, haven't hardly been able to keep anything down. I thought it'd blown over this morning, but just as I was gonna sit down for breakfast, my stomach turned again. "

Tails nodded a little, pondering over what info he had been getting so far.

"It might be something you're eating. Have you had anything unusual lately? Maybe anything that didn't look quite right? "

Shadow pondered this a moment before replying,

"Well... not really. Since this started, I'm pretty sure I've had pancakes, a cheeseburger, a few sodas, a bowl of ramen, pepperoni dipped in whip cream, chocolate ice cream with cheez whiz, some Sushi with strawberry sauce... "

Just listening to the last few combinations were making Tails feel ill. He shook his head and said,

"Shadow, it's no wonder you've been sick, eating those wierd... concoctions is the only word I can come up with for them! "

The Hedgie blinked a time or two and said,

"Well, I liked them. You don't have to rub it in... "

"I'm not, I just... guh, man... do you always eat like that? "

Shadow blinked again, his ears tilting to the side a little in thought as he replied,

"Come to think... no, I don't. In fact... before I started eating them, I probably would've thought them disgusting myself... "

"That's odd... y'know what, Shadow? I think maybe this is beyond my knowledge. I think our best bet might be to look into some of Gerald's filework. We might just be able to find something about this there. "

"... Tails, how do you propose we find ANY of Gerald's files? Any files like that were lost after the incident at the ARK with the FinalHazard. "

That's when a soft, female chuckle suddenly emitted from the rafters above, both furries looking up to see a certain White Bat Girl hanging down.

"Rouge? What're you doing here? "

Tails asked, the Bat smirking and dropping down from the ceiling, Shadow mentally telling himself that Rouge wouldn't be here if she didn't have a reason.

Rouge landed gracefully and stood up straight, smiling at the two males in the room as she said,

"You two need some of Gerald's files, right? Well, I might just be able to help with that. "

She reached into her pocket, pulling out the disk she had saved all of the ARK's data to before, which included all of Gerald's research files.

"Here, all of Gerald's research files on Shadow. Hope you find what you're looking for. "

The White Bat handed the disk to Tails, Shadow standing up and walking to Rouge.

"Not that I'm no appreciative Rouge, but... why are you helping all of a sudden? "

"What can I say, Shadow? I may be a rough and tough Jewel Thief, but that doesn't mean I don't help others when they're in need. Besides... "

She reached forward and pinched Shadow's cheek, the Hedgehog suddenly looking ready to kill as she said,

"Your face just doesn't have that cute glow when you're not feeling well, know what I mean? "

Shadow growled slightly and shoved Rouge's hand off his face.

"Rouge, I oughtta... ! "

"Um, guys? "

Tails interrupted.

"Can we set this aside for now and see if we can find out what's wrong with Shadow? "

Rouge smirked and nodded, Shadow huffing slightly, but nodding in agreement as well.

* * *

It wasn't long before the group of Shadow, Sonic, Tails, Amy and Rouge found themselves standing in front of one of Tails' larger computer consoles, the Twin-Tailed Fox sliding the disk into said computer and starting to scan through the data.

"Well... I don't see anything there that would help is... "

Amy stated as Tails scrolled through a list of research datafiles. Sonic shrugged slightly and said,

"Maybe Shadow really does just have a Stomach Virus. "

"Hey, wait a sec. What's this? "

Tails wondered aloud as he stopped scrolling, noticing one file with a name that differentiated from the others. All the other research files had Gerald's name and a date on them, while the one that caught Tails' eye had the name "Kendo Robotnik" on it with no date at all.

"KENDO Robotnik? "

Amy asked, blinking in confusion.

"Who's that? "

"Professor Gerald's Twin Brother. "

Shadow stated, looking down at the floor. Everyone looked to the Black Hedgehog in surprise.

"Gerald's... Brother? "

Sonic asked, Shadow nodding and adding,

"Before Maria died, as you know, Gerald was dedicated to helping people. Kendo however... Kendo was a madman from the beginning. An Evil Scientist, one might say. Anyway, the only reason Gerald ever had Kendo around at all was because they were Brothers, and Kendo had ways of finding out info that Gerald needed, but couldn't find out for himself. Kendo was really after Gerald's research on me the whole time though, and even talked me into going with him for a bit when I was young and naive. Kendo did some pretty painful experiments on me... until Gerald caught him, that is. He had Kendo escorted away, and he was never allowed back in Gerald's lab ever again. After that,I've no idea what happened to Kendo. "

Everyone was silent by now, letting what they had just heard sink in. No one had had any idea until now that Gerald had had a Brother, let alone a TWIN Brother.

Finally, Tails turned back to the computer terminal and said,

"Well then, maybe something Kendo did then has something to do with what's going on now... "

He immediately opened the file with Kendo's name on it, reading over the contained data.

As Shadow had specified, the data was about when Kendo had spirited the young Shadow away for a while and run his experiments. Tails read on, his jaw finally dropping a bit after he read what the experiments were about.

"Oh, man... guys, look at this. It says here that Kendo couldn't get into Gerald's files to find out how Gerald made Shadow, so Kendo tried to examine Shadow to find out just that, but Shadow's genetic make up was too complicated, so Kendo decided that if he was going to 'clone' Shadow for his own evil reasons, he'd let Shadow do the cloning. "

"... In English, Tails? "

Sonic prompted, patting his foot. Tails sweatdropped and said,

"According to this file, Kendo infused Shadow with an Automatic Reproduction Process that would initiate itself when and if Shadow ever hit the perfect conditions for the process to start under, so Kendo could get his clone with Shadow doing all the work. "

Sonic blinked a time or two, some of the big words Tails was using confusing him.

"... and this means? "

Tails was about to answer, but was suddenly cut off when a loud 'thud' interrupted him, everyone looking to Shadow to see that he had passed out.

"Oh my gosh, is he okay? "

Amy asked worriedly in a panicky manner, Rouge sighing anime style. Sonic sweatdropped.

"Whoa, wonder why Shadow suddenly passed out like that... that's not like him. "

Tails scratched his head and said,

"Guess... Shadow knows what Automatic Reproduction Process means... "

Sonic blinked and turned to Tails.

"Well... what DOES it mean, then? Enlighten us who don't know. "

The Twin-Tailed Fox looked to the Blue Hedgehog and said,

"Well... lemme just be blunt. Shadow's... well... "

"Spit it out, Tails! "

"Shadow's gonna be a Dad, more or less... "

Sonic sweatdropped heavily for a second, the whole thing finally sinking into his brain. There was dead silence in the room for a few minutes... until Sonic fell over with laughter.

* * *

"Guh... what a headache... "

Shadow mumbled as he came to a few hours later, finding himself laid up in bed back in Amy's apartment. He looked around a bit before sitting up and mumbled to himself,

"What a nightmare... okay, that's it, no more Vanilla Ice Cream with Beef Ramen Noodles before bed... "

The Black Hedgehog slowly slid out of Amy's bed, wondering how he had ended up there when he normally slept on the couch. He shrugged it off and walked into the kitchen, finding Amy, Sonic and Tails there. Shadow took notice to the fact that the Blue Hedgie had an unusually large smirk on his face, but shrugged it off and said,

"Hey, everyone. Is there... something up for all of you to be here together like this? "

Sonic, Tails and Amy all looked at each other, then back at Shadow. Tails opened his mouth to speak, but Sonic beat him to it and smirked even wider as he said,

"You know good and well what's up, Shadow. Or maybe I should say... 'Mr. Mom'? "

The Blue One snickered at his own joke, Tails for once thinking very strongly of knocking him out as he looked back to Shadow, who was turning white as a sheet upon the realization that it hadn't been a nightmare. Amy stood and went to Shadow.

"Shadow? You okay? "

The Black Hedgehog was in silent shock a moment before managing to reply,

"OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY! I'M BLASTED PREGNANT! "

* * *

End Chapter 1

* * *

Hey, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this fanfic! I sure enjoyed writing it. Thanks for the idea for this fanfic, Vahn! 'grin'

Anyhow, if you like the story, leave me some reviews, okay? I already have all this story written to be honest, but I'll give some suspense and post like... maybe once every few days. In fact, I think I'll post a new chapter every time this story is bumped down from the 'newest chapters' of Sonic Fanfics page. Seems right to me.

Anyway, hope you liked! And even if you didn't, gimme critiques on how I could make it better! Well, until next chapter!


	2. Mixed Feelings

"Automatic Reproduction" 

By

Sakura Courage Solo

* * *

Chapter 2:

"Mixed Feelings"

* * *

Shadow was in mild shock as he stood there, his usually sturdy legs now wobbling under him. Amy and Tails immediately went to him and helped him sit down, about a million thoughts running through the Hedgehog's mind.

"Shadow? Shadow, come on! Snap out of it! "

Amy prompted as the one in question just sat there in silent shock. Tails finally snapped his fingers right in front of Shadow's face, causing said Hedgehog to blink in surprise as he came back to reality.

Even Sonic was becoming concerned now by the way Shadow was reacting, Amy taking the Red Highlighted Hedgehog's hand and telling him,

"Shadow, try to relax. I know it must be hitting you like a ton of bricks, but... "

Shadow just nodded a little, too speechless right now to say anything as he looked down to the floor. Sonic decided to try and be optomistic, now feeling guilty about laughing like he had.

"Hey, don't worry, Shadow. Maybe it's just coincidence you were experiencing all that stuff. I mean, it doesn't necessarily mean you're... uh... "

Sonic found the word a little hard to say, or maybe the thought just freaked him out a little too much.

Shadow looked back up at Sonic and sighed.

"Coincidence... I doubt that. "

He murmured, Tails gently patting the Hedgehog's back a little and saying,

"Well... just to be sure, maybe we oughtta get one of those tests. I mean... y'know... "

"Right... "

Shadow said, sighing slightly and leaning back, closing his eyes.

"All though I very seriously doubt this is all just coincidence... "

"Well, we should make sure either way. "

Amy added, reaching into a shopping bag on the counter, soon producing a pregnancy test from it.

"I went out and got one while you were passed out. I did my best to find the most accurate one for you. "

She handed the test to Shadow, who looked at the box a moment before standing on his shaky legs and heading to the bathroom. He closed the door behind himself and locked it as soon as he was in, the others all standing outside said door as they waited for some word.

A few minutes passed after that. A good half an hour really, and yet not a peep was heard from the Hedgehog in the bathroom. Sonic finally tapped on the door.

"Shadow? You all right in there? "

There was a bit of hesitation, but finally came the reply,

"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine... "

"You don't sound fine... "

Amy noted, standing behind Sonic.

"Did the colour change yet? "

"Yeah, i-it did... "

"... well? "

"It turned blue... "

Sonic huffed and said,

"You're the one with the instructions, Shadow. We don't know what blue means. "

"It... it means I'm pregnant... "

Everyone was silent for a moment, and Tails could have sworn his sharp Fox Ears had picked up the muffled sound of Shadow crying.

Amy finally spoke up again, leaning against the outside of the bathroom door as she said,

"Oh gosh Shadow, I'm so sorry... c-can we come in? "

Shadow didn't answer verbally, but after wiping the tears from his face, he finally got up and unlocked the door. Amy didn't hesitate to open it, walking inside and softly hugging Shadow in an attempt to comfort him. It took Shadow a moment, but he hugged back.

"Th-thanks Amy... "

He managed to say, his voice rather shakey. Sonic softly put a hand on Shadow's shoulder and said,

"I'm... sorry about laughing before, Shadow. I guess I didn't realize how you feel about this whole thing and what you're going through. "

"It's... it's okay, Sonic. I undertand how the thought of it could make one laugh at first... "

Sonic nodded a little, the solemn and sad expression on his face letting Shadow know that he really was sorry for how he had acted.

Amy finally pulled back from hugging Shadow.

"Well... what do you think we should do then, Shadow? "

She asked, the Hedgehog in question looking down in thought of his answer. Sonic then made comment,

"Shadow, maybe you oughtta have an abortion done. I mean... well... you kinda lack the right equipment to have the kid with, if you know what I mean. "

Shadow cringed at the thought and replied,

"No... I can't just kill it. That'd be like murder, and I'm supposed to help people. Besides, I can... probably have a C-Section done. Furthermore, the kid's probably immortal like me, so an abortion probably wouldn't work anyway. "

"Good points, Shadow... "

Amy agreed, then having a thought.

"But if you're gonna need a C-Section, you'll need a doctor to do it, but you can't go to a doctor because they'd try to experiment, like you said. "

"What choice do we have, Amy? "

Tails asked, his tails swaying back and forth behind him in thought. The Pink Hedgie sighed, wondering how to answer that question. Shadow finally spoke,

"Tails is right, there isn't another option. I'm gonna have to see a doctor for the kid's sake. "

No one could argue with that. Shadow would have to see a doctor about this eventually. Sonic then looked back to Shadow and said,

"We'll stick with you while you're there, okay? So if anyone tries anything, we'll be there to back you up. "

"Thanks... "

* * *

Shadow later found himself laid up in a soft bed at the hospital as Sonic, Tails and Amy stood nearby. The Black Hedgehog seemed a bit nervous, but tried to hide it. He didn't want anyone knowing that 'The Ultimate Life Form' felt any form of fear or nervousness.

"Don't worry, Shadow. "

Amy spoke, gently patting his shoulder.

"It'll be fine, I promise. "

Shadow nodded a little, though her words didn't help his inward shaking much. It was then that the door opened, a female doctor stepping in. She had dark blue hair pulled up into two cat-ear type ponytails and a pair of ruby chocolate coloured eyes, her name tag reading the name " Jade Deveraugh ". Under her white coat, she wore a simple red shirt and a khaki, pleated skirt. She didn't REALLY look like a doctor, but she had a trusting enough face, so Shadow stayed generally silent as she made her way over to him.

"So, you must be Shadow, correct? I'm Doctor Deveraugh, but you can just call me Jade. Believe me, I hate my last name. So, your friends tell me you're experiencing an ' unusual condition '. "

Shadow nodded in response to Jade, the Doctoress smiling warmly to him as she pulled out a stethoscope and set the tiny receivers in her ears, then gently pressing the bell against Shadow's chest.

"Well, not to worry. I'm here to take care of you. We'll be starting off with a general check-up to make sure you yourself are in good condition, then we'll check the condition of the little on, all right? "

"All right... "

The Hedgehog agreed, starting to feel safe around this Doctor as she started checking all his vitals and general condition. Jade had soon come to the conclusion that other than the general symptoms of pregnancy, such as the morning sickness, Shadow was in perfect health.

"Well Shadow, you're the perfect vision of health. Now we'll be checking on the little one, all right? I'll try to determine just how far along you are while I'm at it. "

Jade told him, softly starting to press her fingers around the Hedgehog's stomach, her touch so gentle that Shadow could barely feel it. The Doctor smiled a bit and said,

"You're feeling a bit more firm in the stomach than you normally should. I expect you've been carrying a while and only recently started feeling the symptoms as it all set in. "

Shadow just nodded again, not really wanting to speak right now. Jade took notice to his silence and looked to him.

"You're most certainly quiet. I can't really say I blame you though. It must all be a pretty violent shock to you, but I'm here to help you get through this, okay? It won't be as bad as you probably think it will. "

"If you say so... "

The Black Hedgehog said, Jade nodding and pulling his covers back over him.

"Now, you just relax and wait here. I think there might be enough development as to where we can get a scan. "

The Doctoress left the room with that, Shadow sighing and laying his head back, closing his ruby eyes. Sonic scratched his head a little behind his right ear, walking over to the pregnant one.

"... You gonna be all right, Shadow? "

"I really don't know how to answer that, Sonic. I really don't. "

The Blue Hedgie tilted his head, wondering just what that was supposed to mean. He opened his mouh to question further, but Jade walked back in at that moment, dragging along an Ultrasound machine behind her.

"All right now Shadow, lets see if we can get a look at the little one, okay? "

"Okay... "

"Okay, now I just need you to reveal your tummy and hold still while I do the rest. "

Jade told him,setting up the machine. Shadow complied with the slightest hesitance, wondering in the back of his mind if this was going to hurt. He mentally colded himself for worrying over a little pain as the Doctor came back over to him with a strip of broad, white cloth with some intricate electronics set into it. She softly sat Shadow up and wrapped said cloth around his midsection, the Hedgehog feeling just the slightest vibration as soon as the strip was secured. Jade laid Shadow back and turned on a small screen nearby, smiling slightly as she said,

"Yeah, there we go. Looks like he or she is developing well, Shadow. I'd say this little on is about... two months into development, all aspects of Hedgehog Gestation considered. "

"Two months? Already? "

Shadow asked in surprise, Jade nodding as she stepped away from the screen. The Black Hedgehog looked on with curiosity at the tiny being that was inside of him, suddenly feeling both scared and comforted. Even though the baby didn't look much like a Hedgehog yet, one could tell he or she was starting to develop into one. The slightest of smiles tugged itself across Shadow's muzzle, the others around him looking slightly surprised at his sudden smile at this, but saying nothing.

Jade just smiled softly as she saw Shadow smile, feeling he didn't feel so unnerved by this now. She went over to him and said,

"Well, he or she seems to be in good health. I guess we're done for this visit. "

She started to turn off the screen, but surprisingly, Shadow reached out and laid a hand on her wrist to stop her.

"No, not yet, just... a minute more. "

He said, looking back at the screen again, his smile hanging on his face. He was... actually starting to feel comfortable with this.

* * *

Shadow looked ready to fall asleep by the time the gang had gotten him back to Amy's apartment. He yawned and promptly flopped down onto the couch the minute they got inside, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Amy couldn't help but sweatdrops slightly at the Black Hedgie's unusual behavious, but finally said,

"Well... Jade did say he'd be feeling a lot more tired now, since the baby is taking so much of his energy for development. "

"Y'know... "

Sonic began.

"It's not as much the fact that he's... well... pregnant... as it is the fact that he actually seems so comfortable with the whole thing all of a sudden! "

"Maybe this is what they call a mood swing? "

Tails asked.

"Scared as heck one minute, happy as if he had good sense the next? "

"I guess... "

Amy replied, looking back to Shadow's sleeping form on the couch.

"Well, according to Jade, he'll be carrying for about four more months according to the timeline of normal Hedgehog Gestation. I wonder what Shadow's gonna do when the baby is born? "

"That's a good question Amy. "

Sonic stated with a shrug.

"Shadow's not exactly the caring-for-kids type. He might put the kid up for adoption. "

"I dunno, Sonic. "

Tails replied, his twin tails swaying back and forth in thought.

"Shadow suddenly seems pretty attached to the kid... "

"Well... "

Amy began.

"Guess we'll see in a few months... until then, Shadow's gonna need all the help he can get. "

* * *

End Chapter 2

* * *

Heh, hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Thanks for the review Leevee, I appreciate it! But really, it was my friend Vahn's idea in the RP we did, I just wrote the story off the idea. He's the really insane one. 'gets fwapped by Vahn with a rubber mallet' ... okay, I had that coming.

Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I'll post the next chappie soon! See ya, people!


	3. Passing Time

"Automatic Reproduction" 

By

Sakura Courage Solo

* * *

Chapter 3 

"Passing Time"

* * *

Shadow mumbled something incoherently to himself as he laid in bed one morning, the morning sun flowing in softly through the window and warming his ebon fur. He rolled over softly in his sleep, still muttering nothing imparticular to himself as he slumbered. Regardless of the sun seemingly trying to wake him, he was determined not to 'wake up'.

That's when the CD Alarm Clock suddenly went off, "Planet Tokyo" suddenly blaring in the pregnant Hedgie's sensetive ears. Shadow's ruby eyes snapped open at the sudden sound and he sat up with slight surprise, then realizing what had woken him and grumbled, mentally cursing the CD Alarm Clock as well as Puffy AmiYumi.

He sighed exasperatedly and turned the CD off, sitting there in the bed a moment more until he was fully woken up, then swinging his legs over the side of the bed and setting his feet on the floor to stand.

There was a slight grunt as he did stand, Shadow now remembering the extra weight he was starting to carry on him. He was starting to look a bit round in the middle, the baby having been developing within him for a tad over three months now.

"You're starting to get a bit heavy for me, kiddo. Then again, I guess I should expect that. "

He said, gently patting his stomach in a casual manner. He then yawned and stretched a bit, heading for the shower. He hoped a good hot one would help him wake up.

Shadow smiled softly as he stepped into the shower, turning on the steamy hot water and enjoying the feeling of it rushing over his furry body. It helped him forget all his troubles... or at least helped to dim down any mood swings he might be feeling.

He stayed in the shower a good bit, washing his body down well, but at the same time being careful not to slip or get in any positions that might harm the baby. Shadow had lately become amazingly concious about the child, not doing ANYTHING that might bring harm to him or her. The Hedgehog seemed to have changed a lot since he realized his pregnancy.

That's when the scent of cooking breakfast made it's way into the bathroom through the ventilation system, Shadow suddenly feeling starved like no one's business as he finished washing, turning off the water and drying himself down.

He came into the kitchen a few moments later to find Amy fixing oatmeal and bacon, his mouth watering some at the sight and smell as he sat down. Amy turned around from her cooking and smiled as she saw Shadow.

"Morning Shadow. Sleep well? "

She asked, smiling warmly to him. Shadow smiled back as he replied,

"Yeah. Or at least I did until that Puffy AmiYumi CD you put in the alarm clock woke me up. "

"Oh, sorry about that, Shadow! I meant to turn the alarm clock off... "

"Eh, it's okay. I needed to wake up anyway so I could shower before breakfast. "

Amy just nodded a bit, then noticing Shadow's red highlights had seemingly disappeared. She sweatdropped slightly and asked,

"Shadow, what happened to your highlights? They're... well, gone! "

Shadow blinked a time or two before what she had said sunk in, then sweatdropping himself.

"... okay, fine, I admit it. My highlights are fake and I forgot to put 'em back in after my shower. Just... don't tell anyone, okay? "

The Pink Hedgie was a bit surprised, but nodded a little in agreement.

"S-sure Shadow. If anyone ever finds out your highlights are fake, it won't be from me. "

"Thanks. So... how's breakfast coming? "

"Coming along great. I think I'm actually starting to get the hang of cooking. "

She smiled confidently.

"I'll have it ready for you two in just a minute. "

"All right, thanks Amy. "

Amy nodded and went back to her cooking, soon setting the food on the table. Shadow promptly started on some of the bacon, much more hungry than usual. Amy couldn't help but smile slightly as she poured him some Orange Juice.

"Eat up, Shadow. There's more than enough. "

Shadow just nodded a bit, too busy eating to give a verbal answer.

That's when he suddenly stopped, blinking a time or two. Amy tilted her head in confusion, wondering why he had suddenly paused.

The Black Hedgehog swallowed down his mouthful after a minute, Amy blinking and asking,

"Shadow? Is something wrong? "

"I dunno... I just... felt something. "

"Felt something? Whaddya mean exactly? "

"Well, it felt like... uh... "

Shadow then blinked, stopping in mid-sentence as he looked down at his pregnant belly.

"There it was again... here, try this. "

He softly took Amy's hand and laid it on his stomach, the Pink Hedgehog wondering what Shadow had meant, then feeling the slightest movement. She smiled.

"That's nothing to worry about, Shadow. That's the baby kicking. "

"Kicking? "

"Yup. Jade did say he or she would start moving some soon. "

Shadow nodded a little, smiling softly to himself as he softly rubbed his stomach.

"... I figured it'd hurt when the baby started moving, but... it doesn't hurt at all. It actually feels... sort of nice. "

Amy smiled softly and nodded, watching as Shadow sat there with the most content look on his face. She was starting to wonder if this was the same Shadow she knew before... then shrugged the thought off and figured it was another mood swing.

That's when the doorbell rang, Amy immediately going to answer it as the Black Hedgehog enjoyed the new feeling a moment more before continuing his breakfast.

Then, just as Shadow realized he'd run out of Orange Juice and was going to get up and get more, he felt someone poke him in the back of the head. He immediately turned to look at his 'poker', seeing it was a certain Blue Hedgehog.

"Hey, Shadow. Just dropped by to see how you were doing. "

Sonic said, smirking slightly. Shadow smiled and replied,

"Hey, Sonic. Thanks for coming. You want some breakfast? "

"Eh, no thanks. I stopped by the Diner and got a couple Chili Dogs earlier. So... "

Sonic's smirk grew a bit as he poked Shadow's stomach gently.

"I see you've gained a few pounds since I last saw ya. "

"Are you calling me fat? "

Shadow asked, snarling a bit as he suddenly looked ready to kill. The Blue Hedgehog sweatdropped and took a step back.

"N-no, I wasn't saying you were fat Shadow! I just commented that you'd put on a few pounds. Y'know, with the kid growing and all... "

"Oh, so being pregnant automatically makes me fat! "

"Shadow, calm down! I didn't mean that at all! Just cool it! "

"Don't tell me what to do! "

That's when Shadow grabbed Amy's hammer out of nowhere, Sonic's eyes widening at the weapon. The Black Hedgehog made a few swings at the other Hedgie, who barely evaded the attack each time. Shadow swung continuously, seemingly not about to let Sonic get away.

Then he suddenly slowed down, the Blue Hedgehog a little confused as to why his counterpart was starting to ease off. Shadow finally just sighed and dropped the hammer, flopping down on the couch.

"Forget it, I'm suddenly too tired to mallet anyone... "

He said, yawning slightly before dozing off then and there. Amy and Sonic sweatdropped.

"Amy... has he been like this? "

Sonic asked, the Pink Hedgie looking back to him and replying,

"Well, not the WHOLE time, but gradually getting to what he's like now... "

The Blue Hedgie nodded and commented,

"I'm gonna hate to see him when he's almost ready to have that kid... "

* * *

A few more weeks passed, Shadow's pregnant belly seemingly growing just a little larger every day as the child developed within him. His mood swings were next to uncontrollable now, and had the baby not been taking so much of Shadow's energy to grow and develop, the Black Hedgehog might've seriously hurt someone ( Namely Sonic ) on several occasions.

Amy and the others tried to get Shadow out of the apartment now and then to keep him up in exercise, but there were some days he just didn't want to move from the couch.

There was one day impaticular though that they did manage to get him off the couch and head out into town for the day. Shadow didn't REALLY want to do it, but he figured his friends weren't going to quit nagging him until he did, so he went along.

They ended up at the Diner first for some lunch, everyone a little surprised to see Shadow wolf down three double cheeseburgers, but they then remembered he was eating for two. Tails sipped at his milkshake and leaned over the table a bit.

"So, how long did the doctor say until he's born now, Shadow? "

The Fox asked with curiosity, the Hedgehog in question huffing slightly and replying,

"Jade said SHE will be here in around two months. "

He then nonchalantly took a sip of his soda, everyone face faulting in surprise.

"It's a...girl? "

Sonic managed to say, Shadow cutting him a glare.

"Yes, and her name is Maria. Is that a problem? "

The Blue Hedgie didn't want any more mallet sessions, so just put his hands up defensively and said,

"No, not a problem at all! Maria's a great name! "

"Good. "

Shadow smirked slightly and finished off his soda, Sonic sighing with the relief that he'd gotten out of that one without another malleting.

Cream, who was sitting next to Shadow, blinked sweetly and commented,

"Maria is a nice name... any particular reason you chose it? "

"Well... "

Shadow thought for a moment, wondering if he should tell them. He'd never talked much before, and had kept his sorrow over what he'd witnessed happen to his best friend Maria to himself.

Finally, the Red Highlighted Hedgehog opened his mouth to give an answer, but was cut off as Rouge interrupted,

"That's a coincidence. I seem to remember that the password to all of Gerald's files was Maria, the same name as his Granddaughter. "

"Yes... "

Shadow said, nodding a little and looking down.

"She and I were... very close. "

He admitted, subconciously rubbing his stomach in deep thought.

Cream blinked a time or two, gently placing her hand on Shadow's in a comforting manner.

"I'm sorry, Shadow... "

She said, the Hedgehog looking to her with a warm smile. He gently patted her head and said,

"Thanks, Cream. "

It wasn't long before the six of them ( Seven if you count Maria ) were walking down the sidewalk to the mall. Shadow disliked malls, what with so many people always being in them all the time, but he decided it couldn't hurt just this once.

Then, just a couple of blocks away from said mall, Shadow suddenly stopped as he felt some unusually strong movement from the baby. Everyone stopped when he did and looked back at him, Amy taking a step toward him.

"Shadow? What's wrong? "

"I... dunno. Maria just started kicking pretty hard all of a sudden... it's almost like she's trying to tell me something... "

The Hedgehog in question replied, his ears then perking as he looked around.

"Hey... does anyone else feel that evil life force? "

"Well, amingst you're the only one that can sense life forces Shadow, no. "

Sonic replied, Shadow's quills standing on end as he turned back to the others and said,

"I think we should go... I don't like that life force, and I'm pretty sure that's what's got Maria so scared all of a sudden. "

No one disagreed, knowing that Shadow's senses never failed him, and they started to leave.

STARTED to.

That's when an unusually strong scent suddenly filled the area, and everyone started to feel unbelievably drowsy. Rouge grunted and leaned on a building for support,doing all she could to fight sleep as she mumbled,

"Someone's trying to knock us out with sleeping gas... can't... stay awake... any... longer... "

The White Bat finally passed out, along with everyone else she was with. Had Shadow still been awake, he'd've felt Maria shivering in a frightened manner...

* * *

"Ooooohhhhhh, what the heck happened... ? "

Sonic asked no one imparticular as he came to, cringing at the migraine headache that pounded the inside of his skull. He growled slightly and looked around, making sure everyone was still there as he started to remember what happened.

"Tails, Amy, Rouge, Cream and Cheese... Shadow! "

The Blue Hedgehog immediately leapt to his feet, looking around frantically.

"Shadow! Shadow, where are ya! Shadow, can you hear me! Shadow! "

Tails winced, Sonic's yelling not being pleasant to his sensetive Fox Ears as he came around, slowly sitting up.

"Sonic... ? What's wrong? Why're you yelling for Shadow? "

Sonic looked back to Tails and replied,

"Someone took him... "

* * *

End Chapter 3

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! I'd say Shadow's in a spot of trouble now. Nehehe. But that's what fanfics are for, getting the characters in trouble! 'grin'

Anyway, now to my loyal reviewers!

To Alone In The Dark,

Thanks for the review, glad you like this fic so much! Did you really laugh THAT hard? Whoa, hope this chapter will be as good to you! Little warning though, next chapter is going to be more serious. 'nod nod' Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed this chappie!

To Shadow Chaos Hedga,

Wow, were you really crying? Heh, guess it turned out more emotional than I thought. 'smirk' Anyhow, now you see that your feeling was right about it being a girl, and something else will be revealed about her next chapter that might just be a little shocking. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks so much for the great review!

* * *

Y'know people, when I first started writing this fanfic, I got the feeling that people would think it was WAY too off the wall, but so far I've gotten nothing but awesome reviews about this! I'm so happy! XD Thanks so much everyone! Hope you like this chapter, and please leave me a review! So, 'til next chapter, see ya!


	4. Search & Rescue:Return of an Old Friend

"Automatic Reproduction" 

By

Sakura Courage Solo

* * *

Chapter 4 

"Search And Rescue : Return Of An Old Friend "

* * *

Shadow's head pounded as he found himself returning to conciousness, a bright light shining right in his face as he opened his ruby red eyes. He started to put a hand up to shield said eyes from the light, but found himself restrained pretty tightly to the table he was laying on. 

"What the...? "

He yelped in sudden panic, starting to struggle against his restraints. They held fast though, Shadow finally sighing and settling down as he tried to figure out where he was.

Around him were the makings of a lab; Medical Instruments, Observation Tanks, Examination Tables and the like all creating an all too familiar atmosphere for the pregnant Hedgehog, making him just want to Chaos Control out of here...

In fact, he did try to Chaos Control, but he suddenly got an unexpectedshock from his own power as he did so. There was a sudden chuckle from the darkest corner of the room, and a man with blonde hair pulled back into a shoulder length ponytail, huge glasses on his face and a white lab coat on his body suddenly emerged. Shadow's eyes widened with a sudden fear, and he could feel Maria shivering in a terrified manner within him.

"Kendo... "

He managed to whisper through his shock, the doctor giving another chuckle as he stopped next to Shadow.

"So, you remember me Shadow. "

"Kendo... how can you still be alive! And why'd you capture me like this! "

"It's really quite simple, Shadow. After my Brother evicted me from his lab, I put myself in cold sleep in my old lab, knowing that eventually you'd start your Automatic Reproduction Process. EVENTUALLY, amingst why I went into cold sleep. I knew it would take a good while. Anyway, I had my Cold Sleep Chamber set to awaken me as soon as the process started, so I could see my little 'creation'. "

Shadow snarled.

"I got news for you Kendo! Maria's NOT your experiment, and I won't let you harm her in any way! "

"My my my, seems you've become rather protective of the little one... strange turn of events. I would've thought you'd be glad to get her out of you as soon as possible. "

"You don't know me as well as you think, Kendo. Now let me go or... "

"Or what? You won't be doing much with that Titanium Collar on. You see, after doing a bit of research, I found out Titanium deflects your Chaos Powers. I trust you already found this out when trying to Chaos Control earlier, yes? "

"Kendo... you are one SICK individual! "

"Why thank you. Now then, you just rest there while I run some scans on you two, all right Shadow? "

Shadow growled, not wanting to comply, but seeing no other way out of this at the moment, he did for Maria's sake.

* * *

"We have to find him! Who knows who will do what to Shadow! " 

Amy said in panic after she and the others had done a full scale search of the City for the pregnant Hedgehog, which turned up nothing. Sonic put his hands on the Pink Hedgehog's shoulders and said,

"Amy, calm down! We'll find Shadow, just cool it! "

"R-right... sorry, Sonic... it's just... I mean, I know Shadow could probably defend himself, but... "

"I know, he's not in any condition to be fighting it out with someone. Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine Amy."

"If you say so, Sonic... "

Sonic nodded a yes to her, then turning to Tails, who had his laptop out.

"Tails, you got a lock on Shadow's Chaos Energy Readings yet? "

He asked, the Fox looking frustrated as he replied,

"Not a single trace! It's like Shadow just totally disappeared off the face of the planet! "

"Man... are you sure your software isn't just on the fritz, Tails? "

"I'm positive! You know I always keep my stuff in tip top shape! "

"But then why isn't he showing up? We know he's out there... he has to be somewhere! He didn't just disappear into thin air! "

Cream drew up a little at the yelling going on around her, wishing she could do something to help.

That's when an idea hit her, and she started to try and get everyone's attention. Unfortunately, the shouting was a little too loud and drowned out the small Rabbit's voice. She finally growled, getting prettyfrustrated herself as she screamed,

"QUIET! "

Everyone suddenly shut up, rather surprised that Cream had suddenly become so upset as to scream.

The Bunny breathed heavily a moment before finally sighing and speaking,

"I have an idea about how we can find Shadow. "

Rouge quirked an eyebrow, a little skeptical of any ideas Cream might have as she asked,

"You sure about that, Cream? I mean, if Tails' scanners can't pick him up... "

"We don't need scanners! "

Cream retorted.

"All we need is Cheese! "

The said Chao blinked a time or two in surprise, his Bunny partner then continuing,

"Chao have a really great sense of smell, and I'm sure Cheese would have no trouble picking up Shadow's scent! "

"Cream, you might just have something there! "

Sonic exclaimed.

"Let's try it! Come on Cheese, we're counting on you to help us find Shadow! "

The tiny blue creature chirped it's species name and nodded, starting to try and get the Black Hedgehog's scent.

* * *

In the meantime, Kendo had done his scans and Shadow had found himself in an observation vessel, surrounded by the cylindrical transparasteel prison as he sat there on the cold, metal floor. He'd tried to punch his way out when Kendo left, but the transparasteel was too tough even for the Ultimate Life Form to break. 

He sighed exasperatedly as he sat there now, softly rubbing his stomach in a soothing motion as he felt Maria continue to shiver.

"Come on Maria, please stop shivering. It's gonna be okay, I promise... "

All though Shadow wasn't quite sure of which himself, continuously pondering how he was going to get out of here, if ever. Still, nothing came to him, and he was forced to just sit back and wait for whatever fate would be dealt to him and his unborn child.

Maria finally stopped her shivering after a while, Shadow assuming she'd finally fallen asleep. He yawned, wanting to sleep himself, but he'd much rather get out of this prison of a laboratory first.

He sat there for a good while, fighting sleep as he stewed over these thoughts, until he finally couldn't struggle to stay awake any longer and fell asleep.

"Shadow... "

A familiar voice echoed throughout the dark void, the Hedgehog blinking and looking around.

"Where... am I? And that voice... M-Maria! "

"Yes Shadow, it's me. "

That's when a ray of light suddenly shone before him in the darkness, and the blonde, blue eyed girl stepped into it. Shadow felt like he might pass out, overjoyed and shocked at the same time to see his friend again.

"Maria... I can't believe it's you... it's been so long...but, I thought you were... "

Maria put a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"I never left you, Shadow. I've always been deep down within you, as long as you remembered me. "

She smiled softly, bringing the Hedgehog into a hug. Shadow smiled widely, feeling joyful tears sting his eyes as he hugged her back.

Maria soon pulled back from the hug and brushed back one of his red highlighted quills, still smiling warmly as she said,

"I see you're having a little one Shadow... "

Shadow almost sweatdropped, but managed to say,

"Yes... I'm calling her Maria, after you. "

Maria let out a giggle, softly placing her hand on Shadow's pregnant belly, where the child slept peacefully.

"You want to know something special about this child, Shadow? "

The Hedgehog blinked, wondering what Maria could mean as he nodded a yes to her. She looked into Shadow's ruby eyes and replied,

"I did die that day back on the ARK Shadow, but... as I said, I've always been with you since, and this child is how I'll become even closer to you. "

"What do you mean, Maria? I'm... not sure I understand... "

"Your naming her after me isn't just coincidence, Shadow. You see, this will be my second chance. "

Shadow's eyes widened as he realized what the blonde girl before him was saying, her smile growing a bit wider as she said,

"Yes Shadow, you've figured it out. I'm getting a second chance and getting closer to you... by reincarnation. Shadow, I am the child you are carrying inside of you right now. "

He wasn't sure what to say or do, very much in shock from the realization that Maria was reincarnated into the child he was carrying. Now, he was rather glad that Kendo had infused him the the Automatic Reproduction Process. Through this, he was going to have Maria back.

Maria smiled once more to Shadow, softly hugging him again as she said,

"You'll be seeing me soon, Shadow. Take care of yourself until then, all right? "

That's when everything around Shadow suddenly brightened, and Shadow once more found himself in his transparasteel prison.

"Maria... "

He whispered to himself, a soft smile tugging his lips.

"She's... coming back..."

He softly reached down to his pregnant belly to rub it, hoping to feel this reincarnated form of his best friend make some movement.

That's when he realized though that his stomach was considerably larger, making him sweatdrop. He looked down at himself, nearly passing out when he saw that his stomach had grown to it's full extent. The child had had one heck of a growth spurt.

"What the...? But...how? I--I'm not supposed to be having her for another two months! "

That's when Shadow remembered a couple of shots that Kendo had given him, then growling.

"Kendo... he sped up the process somehow. Blasted idiot probably couldn't wait... well, at least it means I get to see Maria sooner... "

Shadow's ears then twitched as he heard someone on the other side of the observation room door, tapping in the password on the keypad. The Hedgehog snarled, figuring it was Kendo.

The door slid open... and a Chao with a red bow tie came waddling in. Shadow blinked a time or two and sweatdropped.

"Cheese! "

He asked in surprise, the Chao turning to him and singing happily when he saw him. It was then that Sonic, Tails, Amy, Cream and Rouge all poured into the room, Shadow sighing with relief as he saw this.

"You guys came! "

Sonic smirked and said,

"Of course we did, Shadow! What, didja think we were just gonna leave you and Maria here? "

Rouge smirked slightly as well, then noticing Shadow's now larger belly. She face faulted.

"Shadow, what happened? You look ready to pop! "

"I know, I know... "

The pregnant Hedgehog grumbled.

"Kendo sped up the process somehow. Guess he's impatient. "

"Don't worry, Shadow! We'll have you outta here in no time! "

Tails immediately went to the control panel that operated the cell, starting to tap away at it.

"We'd best take Shadow to the hospital as soon as we get him out of here. If Kendo did speed up the process, then Shadow won't be long going into labour. "

Amy commented, Sonic nodding in agreement.

That's when the transparasteel suddenly lifted up off the floor and into the ceiling, Tails having unlocked it by now. Shadow slowly but surely started to stand, finding it wasn't easy with all the extra weight he'd put on. Sonic, Amy and Cream immediately went to help him up, all of them grunting.

"Man Shadow, that kid's growth spurt really put the pounds on you! "

"... I'll mallet you for the comment AFTER we get out of here, Sonic. "

Shadow told him, sighing with relief when he was finally standing.

"Hurry, let's get out of here! "

Cream exclaimed, no one able to argue with that as they headed for the door... only to find several nasty, indescribable creatures blocking their way. Cream screamed.

"What ARE those things? "

She asked in alarm, Shadow grunting.

"A load of Kendo's genetic experiments, apparently! He did create some really nasty creatures! "

Sonic smirked.

"You guys take Shadow on ahead! I'll take care of these guys! "

"You can't take all those on by yourself, Sonic. "

Rouge told him, stepping up next to him.

"I'll help you fight them. Amy, Tails, Cream! You get Shadow out of here as soon as we clear the way! "

The three who had just been given their order nodded, Sonic and Rouge then moving forward in a quick and swift motion, taking down creature after creature. Once the way was clear, Amy, Tails and Cream immediately helped Shadow through.

The group turned quite a few hallways as they made their way through the insanely huge laboratory, Cheese following the scents to get them back out of the building.

Then, just as they were making their way to the exit, Kendo suddenly leapt forward, blocking their path.

"And just where do you think you're all going? "

He seethed, Tails not hesitating to leap forward at him.

"Out of here, that's where! "

The Fox yelled, spinning in mid air and knocking Kendo aside with his tails, Cream, Amy and Shadow not hesitating to make their way out the door in escape, Tails soon following after them.

* * *

"Phew, that was close... " 

Cream commented after they had all made it back into the city, said group currently making their way to the hospital to get Shadow checked out.

"Tell me about it... hard to believe that Kendo guy made all those freaky creatures! "

Amy added, Tails smiling a little.

"Well, we accomplished our mission and got Shadow out, and I'm sure Sonic and Rouge oughtta be coming back soon! "

He said, everyone nodding a little in agreement.

"Well, let's keep moving on to the hospital. "

Amy said as she helped Shadow continue along. The Black Hedgehog smiled a little and said,

"Hey guys, thanks for coming after m---... "

Shadow suddenly stopped mid-word, his eyes widened a little. Cream blinked and asked,

"Shadow? What's wrong? Are you okay? "

The Black Hedgehog opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out was a yelp of pain as he suddenly dropped to his knees, both hands on his bulging stomach.

"Shadow! Shadow, what's wrong? "

Amy cried in worry, Shadow cringing and finally managing to yell through the pain,

"It's Maria! Maria's coming! "

* * *

End Chapter 4

* * *

Hey people, hope you all enjoyed chapter 4 here. Thanks for all the great reviews you've all been giving me!

To Shadow Chaos Hedga,

Hehe, yup! Women's intuition! Thanks for the review, so glad you like the story! Yesh, Maria's secret has finally been revealed! Hope I didn't have you TOO worried. Heh. Thanks again for the great review, and hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reviewing my other story too!

To RyukoVulpix,

Thanks for showing me the document. It actually explained a few things to me! Anyway, glad you find my story so funny and original, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the great review!

So, until next chapter, see ya people!


	5. Finally

"Automatic Reproduction" 

By

Sakura Courage Solo

* * *

Chapter 5

"Finally..."

* * *

"It's Maria! Maria's coming! "

Shadow yelled through the pain of his pregnant belly drawing up unvelievably tight in a contraction, Tails, Amy and Cream looking rather panicky suddenly. Amy finally regained her composure though, helping the labouring one over to a bench to lay down on.

"Tails, Shadow's in labour! Run and call for an ambulance, quick! "

The Fox nodded and immediately ran off to the nearest pay phone to call for assistance, Shadow letting out a groan of pain as he laid on the bench, not believing it was this painful.

Cream stood next to Shadow and tried to keep him calm as Amy timed the contractions, keeping an eye on the watchpiece that was set into her gold ring bracelet.

Tails wasn't long to come back, more or less screeching to a halt when he did.

"Okay, help's coming. Is Shadow okay? "

He asked, Amy turning back to him and replying,

"He is for now, but he'll need help soon. His contractions are about 2 minutes apart and lasting about a minute. "

Shadow groaned as another painful contraction sunk in and he placed both hands on his stomach,

"Guh... this is a lot more painful than I ever imagined... I dunno how long I can take this... "

"Just hold on, Shadow! There's an ambulance coming! "

Cream told him as he started to breathe rather heavily, some sweat forming on his brow. He cringed again, curling up a little with the pain now.

That's when he suddenly felt a sharp, stinging type pain within his stomach along with sort of a pop, followed by a massive release of liquid. This more or less scared Shadow a good bit, making him shiver some as he said,

"A-am I supposed to feel something like a water balloon breaking inside of me? "

"Oh, man... "

Amy muttered.

"Shadow, I think it might've been your water breaking. Just try to stay calm. It doesn't mean much since you'll be having a C-Section, I don't think. "

That's when sirens could be heard coming their way, the ambulance Tails had called for earlier pulling up. The paramedics, one of them being Jade, didn't hesitate to get Shadow on one of the beds and take him in. Amy, Tails and Cream also climbed in, but stayed out of the way during the ride as Jade and the others administrated Shadow some pain relievers and such.

* * *

Shadow was fairly calm by the time they arrived at the hospital, soon finding himself laid up in one of the patient rooms as the doctors readied a surgery room for the C-Section. The Hedgehog sighed softly, not feeling nearly as much pain after all the meds they'd given him, hence why he was fairly calm right now.

"Well, I guess this is it Maria. It won't be long now before you're born... "

He smiled warmly as he gently caressed his baby-filled belly, having never felt this way before. He liked the feeling, wondering if this is how women felt when they were readied to have their children.

"I'll take good care of you, Maria. I promise. "

He whispered, then hearing the click of a door handle being turned. He turned his head to see the door opening, Amy, Tails and Cream stepping in.

"Hey Shadow. How're you feeling? "

Tails asked, Shadow smirking slightly as he made his reply,

"Never better, actually. I... can't really explain what I'm feeling right now, but... I like it. "

Cream giggled a little and said,

"Well, I know if I was about to have a baby, I'd be VERY happy! "

Amy gently patted the Bunny's head and said,

"I'm sure you will one day, Cream. "

Cream smiled childishly, a loud knock then suddenly coming at the door. Tails went over and opened it, Sonic and Rouge promptly entering.

"Sonic! "

Amy cried, immediately glomping the Blue Hedgehog, Rouge smirking slightly as she watched them. Sonic squirmed a bit in Amy's grip and said,

"T-take it easy, Amy! I'm okay! Those freaky creatures weren't much match for me! "

Rouge cleared her throat, Sonic sweatdropping and adding,

"... and Rouge. Those freaky creatures weren't much match for me and Rouge. "

"Thank you. "

The White Bat said with one of her sly smirks, then turning to Shadow.

"So, how's Mr. Mom here doing? "

"Never better, Rouge. "

Shadow replied with a soft smile, his hands never leaving his stomach. Everyone was a little shocked to see the ' Ultimate Life Form ' so calm in such a situation. It was a totally different side to him. To think that just a couple of months ago he had been so upset when he found out the Automatic Reproduction Process had kicked in, and now... he acted like he could hardly wait to see the child. It was as if he had totally changed over the past few months... or perhaps he was just showing a side of himself that he thought he couldn't show before.

"So... "

Sonic began, leaning against the wall.

"What're you gonna do with the kid after she's born? You gonna take care of her yourself or put her up for adoption or what? "

"I'm going to take care of her, of course. She's... she's my daughter after all. Not to mention she's... well... "

Cream blinked in curiosity and asked,

"She's what, Shadow? "

Shadow looked back to the little Bunny and said,

"Well... to start off with, you guys know by now that back on Space Colony ARK, my only friend was Professor Gerald's Granddaughter Maria, right? "

Everyone nodded, the Black Hedgehog then continuing,

"When the military raided the ARK fifty years ago, Maria was killed right in front of my eyes just as she sent me to Earth in an escape pod. I thought I'd never see her again... but then, when I was in Kendo's base a little while ago, Maria showed herself to me in a dream. She said that she had always been with me, and that she was getting a second chance by being reincarnated into this little one... "

He softly rubbed his pregnant belly, feeling his child make a few soft movements, as though agreeing with him. Everyone seemed a little shocked, not really believing that could ever happen, but it was also something that Shadow couldn't just make up, nor had any reason for making some such up.

No one was sure what to say, all of them just silent. It was then that the door opened slowly, Jade poking her head in and smiling, then coming the rest of the way in and going over to Shadow.

"Well, you seem to have calmed down a bit Shadow. How are you feeling? "

She asked, the Hedgehog in question smiling as he replied,

"I feel ready, if that's what you mean. "

"That's good. The surgery room is all ready for you, I just need to put you under first so you won't feel anything, okay? "

Shadow nodded, Jade pulling over a tank of sleeping gas and gently placing the mask over his face.

"Now just relax and let yourself fall asleep. When you wake up, it'll all be over. "

She told him, watching him smile slightly behind the mask as he started dozing off. He glanced to the side to look at the others once more before finally drifting into peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Shadow... "

Shadow heard someone calling his name again, but it wasn't Maria this time. It sounded like Jade, but her voice sounded so far off and made an echo in his ears.

"Shadow... time to wake up Shadow. "

Jade's voice was closer now, and Shadow felt himself returning to conciousness. He slowly but surely forced his heavy eyelids open, seeing a bright light above him. He winced slightly, feeling some soreness in his stomach. That's when he fully woke and it hit him, his hand flying up to his now slim stomach. Jade smiled softly and said,

"That's right Shadow, the C-Section is over. "

"Wh-where's Maria? "

He asked immediately, slowly but surely sitting up. The Doctoress pointed over to the hospital crib next to the surgery table Shadow was lain on, the Hedgehog smiling widely as he softly reached in and picked up the blonde-furred, baby Hedgehog girl.

"Oh my gosh, you're... "

Shadow gently held her in his arms, close to himself to keep her warm. Her nose twitched a bit, the sudden motion of being picked up and held waking her up as her crystal blue eyes opened up. She looked up at Shadow sweetly, the Black Hedgehog looking like he suddenly might cry as he looked into her all too familiar eyes.

"... you're definitely Maria... "

He whispered softly as he held her a little closer to himself, softly brushing some stray, hair-like, blonde quills from her eyes. Maria giggled a little and snuggled into the white tuft of fur on Shadow's chest.

"Maria... you have no idea how good it is to have you back... especially in this form. You were my friend before, but now you're... "

His smile grew a little wider.

"You're my daughter... "

* * *

The End

* * *

Phew... well, finally done. Hope everyone enjoyed the final chapter! Thanks everyone who reviewed!

To Shadow Chaos Hedga,

Heh, don't worry, looks like Shadow and Maria turned out fine. Sorry for worrying you back there, but then again, fanfics are about suspense, eh? Heh. And here I thought I was coming up with something original with that collar. O.o Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the final chappie, and thanks SO much for the reviews! hope you like the ending!'huggles'

To RyukoVulpix,

Yeah, Kendo is kinda creepy. I have a lot of mad scientists in my fics, like Ryota Osamu from my Zoids fic "Van and the Mercenary" for instance. Heh. Anyhow, glad you and Shadow Chaos Hedga liked the idea of Maria being reincarnated into the little one. Heh, it's amazing what I come up with when I get Vanilla Coke into my system. The stuff goes to me head. lol. Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing! Hope you liked the ending! 'huggles'

To MariatheHedgehog,

Well, you wanted an update, and you got one! Final chappie finally up! I'd like to do a fanfic request, but I'm not good at those, sorry, but I AM good at spriting, so if you have a sprite request! Anyway, hope you liked the ending, and thanks for the review! 'huggles'

* * *

Well, I guess that's it for this story. Hope everyone enjoyed it! It was so much fun to write! See ya, people!


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